Joint US-Africa Materials Advanced Studies Institute

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical Abstract: With support from the Office of Special Programs in the Division of Materials Research and the Office of International Science and Engineering, the Joint U.S.-Africa Materials Advanced Studies Institute is a two-week educational institute that serves to connect materials students and researchers in the United States with those in Africa and other parts of the developed world. It will benefit U.S. participants because it will immerse them in a rich, transcontinental network of collaborators from Africa and Europe. The June 2016 school on "Materials for Sustainable Energy" will enable them to explore shared scientific challenges and to help co-generate new knowledge and innovative solutions with colleagues who bring different national, cultural and institutional perspectives. World-renowned experts drawn from the United States, Africa and Europe will teach the courses and provide opportunities for hands-on learning. The institute, part of an ongoing effort called the Joint Undertaking for an African Materials Initiative (JUAMI), promises to strengthen the capacity of the African Materials Science community by providing short-term graduate level training of African students and researchers by some of the world's top scientists during the two-week school in Arusha, Tanzania. Technical Abstract: Motivated by the need to develop and sustain positive international scientific relationships between the United States and African scientific communities, the Joint U.S.-Africa Materials Advanced Studies Institute employs a unique format to address four primary concerns: the creation of new knowledge and innovative solutions through cross-cultural collaborations, the need for U.S. graduate students and faculty to be engaged in international research collaborations and networks, the value to the United States of remaining a desired collaboration partner for African counterparts, and the need for graduate level training in materials science in Africa. This two-week school, which follows on earlier such schools, will focus on "Materials for Sustainable Energy", a topic at the frontier of materials research, with lectures offered by world-renowned experts recruited both internationally and locally. The curriculum includes directed hands-on activities, lectures, and the preparation/presentation of group proposals that give rise to ongoing cross-cultural collaborative research projects. Experts from the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching at Northwestern University will provide ongoing assessment to quantify educational outcomes and improve pedagogy and program structure. The 2016 school takes advantage of JUAMI's existing clearing house to connect researchers and resources across international boundaries. The institute's unique format, essentially a hybrid between a state-of-the-art conference, advanced seminars and hands-on learning opportunities, augmented with a virtual gathering place, is key to achieving mutual benefit for the United States and for Africa. This advanced studies institute will also tap into the rich talent pool in Africa, focusing that potential on a topic of great importance to Africa, the United States and the world. By building and sustaining links with African students, researchers and institutions, this institute and JUAMI's ongoing efforts could also prove valuable for recruiting excellent students to the United States for graduate study.